Inflatable type golf swing training apparatus

ABSTRACT

An inflatable type golf swing training apparatus, which comprises an inflatable track guide and adjustable struts. The inflatable track guide had a radian of an swing track and is made by an enclosed capsule which is hollow and inflatable and is made of elastic material. The adjustable struts includes two front adjustable struts which are provided at the lower part of the inflatable track guide and used for adjusting the height and angle thereof, and two rear adjustable struts which are provided at the middle part of the inflatable track guide and used for adjusting the angle of the track guide plane with respect to the horizontal plane

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a sports training apparatus,particularly to an inflatable type golf swing training apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Swing is a key basic skill in golf sport. Whether the swing stance isproper or not directly impacts on the flying trajectory of the golfball, and consequently affects the result. All golf players have theexperience that, as long as the stance is proper, the result will not betoo bad. However, at the beginning stage, since the players do not havea fixed proper swing action, together with various factors during thepractice, their swing stances tend to be changed. Therefore, how to fixa proper swing stance is a key factor for the players to improve theirgolf result.

At present, there are a variety of methods and apparatus for golf swingtraining, which include indoor and outdoor training apparatus, such as agolf ball training apparatus in an invention patent application(application No. CN 96193622.3), and various golf swing trainingapparatus, such as golf swing trainers (patent application No. CN97230152.6 and CN00243726.0). All inventions in these variousapplications require the golf players themselves to be trained for along time and to feel the sense of proper swing so as to fix a properstance and keep it as a habit. However, it will take too much time forthe golf player. Moreover, if ordinary people want to practice golfswing, they have no choice but either practicing at home by purchasing atraining apparatus or practicing on a golf course. Because of expensivecost of the training apparatus and high fees for the golf course, thepopularity of golf sport in ordinary people is limited.

Particularly, it is important for a player to fix down his/her swingstance in a possibly shortest time so as to make the swing stanceundeformed when entering into the golf course, and becoming a golfplayer and even a golf competitor having excellent result. By using thecurrent training apparatus, it will take a long time to achieve those.

Chinese utility model patent CN2664729 discloses a golf swing trainingapparatus, which comprises: a base frame; a curved guide, disposed onthe base frame, a user space being defined behind the curved guide for apracticer standing and swinging therein, wherein the track of the curvedguide is located on an identical plane that faces the user space and istilted with its top inclining backwardly; a linear guide, disposed onthe curved guide in such a manner that the linear guide can slide alongthe curved guide, wherein the longitudinal axis of the linear guide isparallel to the plane where the curved guide located, and the direction,along which the linear guide extends linearly, generally correspondingto the direction that extended outwardly from the center of the curvedguide; a carriage, disposed on the linear guide in such a manner thatthe carriage can slide along the linear guide, and extended a distancebackwardly from the linear guide; and a simulated club, with one endpivoted to the back end of the carriage and the other end for usergripping.

Chinese utility model patent CN2638793 discloses a swing trainingapparatus, which comprises: a camber guide, the guide length of which isdesigned according to the maximum swing amplitude of the club head whenthe user swings; and a securing seat that secures the camber guide intoa predetermined using angle, which is disposed at the bottom of thecamber guide. This patent still can not effectively fix the swing stanceof the practicer.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,545 discloses a track training apparatus, whichcomprises a tilted guide, a golf club, and a base frame.

The inventor has filed a PCT application on 2005 (InternationalApplication No. PCT/CN2005/002147) on a golf swing training trackapparatus, which is also expensive in manufacturing cost, inconvenientto carry, and unsafe to use.

As summed up, the above-mentioned prior art technologies are complex instructures, high in manufacturing cost, and inconvenient to carry.Especially, their guides are all made of metal material, which are notsafe to use and easy to hurt the practicers during the training.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide an inflatable typegolf swing training apparatus, which can fix the swing stance in apossibly shortest time. With said apparatus, the swing training canproceed at anytime and anywhere. More importantly, the inflatable typeapparatus is low in manufacturing cost, easy to carry, and safe to use.The golf practicers can practice swing along a predetermined swingguide.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the present inventiondiscloses an inflatable type golf swing training apparatus, whichcomprises an inflatable track guide, front adjustable struts, and rearadjustable struts.

The inflatable track guide has a guide radian corresponding to a swingtrack, and is made by enclosing a hollow and inflatable capsule made ofelastic material.

Two front adjustable struts are disposed at the lower part of theinflatable track guide for adjusting the height and the angle of theinflatable track guide.

Two rear adjustable struts are disposed in the middle part of theinflatable track guide for adjusting the angle of the plane of theinflatable track guide with respect to the horizontal plane.

The guide radian of the inflatable track guide can be chosen dependingon various demands of the practicers.

Protuberances are disposed on the inflatable track guide, through whichthe front adjustable struts and the rear adjustable struts are coupledto the inflatable track guide.

The front and the rear adjustable struts are of telescopic structuresand are made of hard plastic-steel material.

The tilt angle of the plane of the inflatable track guide with respectto the horizontal plane is larger than 45 degrees and less than 90degrees.

The inflatable track guide is made of magnetic plastic material.

The outer surface of the inflatable track guide is coated with metalmesh, which is further coated with a layer of wear-resistant glossymaterial;

Both the front adjustable struts and the rear adjustable struts can beadjusted in spiral or telescopic way, for adjusting the tilt angle ofthe track guide.

Each of the front adjustable struts and the rear adjustable struts isprovided with a rubber sucker or a fixed platform at a portion whichcontacts with the ground.

The inflatable type golf swing training apparatus according to thepresent invention allows the golf practicer to swing along theestablished or adjusted guide, and making his/her swing stance steady ina possibly shortest time. The swing training can be carried out atanytime and anywhere, without a special training course. In addition,this invention has low manufacturing cost and simple manufacturingprocess, and is easy to carry and safe to use. The implementation ofthis invention will definitely speed up the popularity of golf sport.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a side cross sectional view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view of the protuberance part A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view of the protuberance part B of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the track guide of the presentinvention.

Reference signs in these drawings comprises:

-   -   1: track guide    -   2: front adjustable strut    -   3: rear adjustable stmt    -   4: protuberance    -   5: protuberance    -   6: fixed platform    -   7: adjustment screw    -   8: metal mesh    -   9: plastic material layer    -   10: magnetic material layer

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As well known, the golf ball can fly and then fall off along atrajectory by hitting it through properly swing the club. The magnitudeand the direction of the swing force and the angle, at which the golfball contacts with the club head, determine the flying trajectory of thegolf ball. Without the influence of other factors, such as wind power,if the magnitude and the direction of the swing force can be fixed, theangle and the distance of the flying trajectory of the golf ball willalso be fixed. And the result of the golf player will be thus satisfied.

The inflatable type golf swing training apparatus disclosed by thepresent invention fixes the user's swing stance based on the principlethat track is restricted by the guide, and correcting the improper swingstance, which is greatly suitable for the practicer to practice theswing stance.

The inflatable type golf swing training apparatus disclosed by thepresent invention adopts an inflatable type guide, which is adjustablein height and tilt angle, seeing FIG. 1. The practicer can adjust theheight and the angle according to his/her physical features, which makesthis apparatus suitable for family purchase and using by multiplepeople. When practicing, each family member can adjust the angle of theguide plane and the height of the guide according to his/her owncondition. After adjustment, the guide can be fixed so as to on one handmaintain the whole apparatus stable when the practicer is practicing andon the other hand keep the swing stance of the practicer fixed, toensure the consistency of the action and properness of the stance, andthus taking the effect on fixing the proper swing stance.

The adjustable inflatable type golf swing training apparatus mainlycomprises: the inflatable track guide 1, front adjustable struts 2 andrear adjustable struts 3, seeing FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which is a side viewof FIG. 1.

The inflatable track guide 1 is a capsule having a closed track, whichis formed by enclosing a hollow cylinder that has a diameter of about200 mm and is made of wear-resistant elastic plastic material. Thecapsule has a cross section, which can be round or elliptical orirregularly oblate shaped. The guide radian of the closed track guidecan be designed in accordance with the track corresponding to the properswing stance, which can be an ellipse, for example, having a verticalinner diameter of about 1500 mm and a horizontal inner diameter of about1700 mm.

Two front adjustable struts 2 are vertically arranged at the lower partof the inflatable track guide 1. The height is of about 1200 mm. Both ofthe front adjustable struts 2 are hollow struts, which can be made ofstainless steel or plastic materials, and being fastened to theinflatable track guide 1 through protuberances 4 at the lower part ofthe guide. The front adjustable struts 2 can be disposed at the sidelower part of the inflatable track guide 1, or can just beneath theinflatable track guide 1 (dashed portion). FIG. 2 shows said twopossible embodiments, wherein protuberances 5 in part B are shown inFIG. 5.

The protuberances 4 at the lower part of the guide can be attachedthereto through rubber suckers, or being directly attached to the guide,or being designed prior to manufacturing the guide. The outer diameterof the protuberance 4 is consistent with the inner diameter of thehollow front adjustable stmt 2, so that the front adjustable stmt 2 canbe fitly set to the protuberance 4. Similarly, two rear adjustablestruts 2 are arranged at the middle part of the guide 1 for adjustingthe tilt angle of the plane of the guide 1 with respect to thehorizontal plane. The two rear adjustable struts 2 are in the samestructures as those of the front adjustable struts 3, except that thelength of which is longer than the front adjustable struts 3. The rearadjustable struts 3 are at an angle less than 90 degree with respect tothe horizontal plane, and can be perpendicular to the plane of the guide1. Similarly, the two rear adjustable struts are coupled to the guide 1through protuberances 5. The protuberances 5 on the guide have the samestructures and effect as the protuberances 4. The protuberance parts Aand B of the guide can be seen in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. The front and therear adjustable struts can be adjusted in a spiral or a telescopic wayfor adjusting the height of the track guide and the tilt angle of theplane of the same. The two front adjustable struts are used foradjusting mainly the height and the tilt angle as well.

Each of the front adjustable struts 3 and the rear adjustable struts 2can be provided with a rubber sucker or a fixed platform 6 at theportion which contacts with the ground, for fastening firmly the frontadjustable struts 3 and the rear adjustable struts 2 on the groundrespectively.

The guide radian can be designed according to the track of proper swing.

For example, the physical characteristics of a person can be classifiedinto with N types according to the stature, weight, figure, waistline,and etc. M1 categories of standard guide radians, M2 categories ofspecial guide radians, and L categories of guide radians of thewell-known golf athletes can be included. The practicers can choose theguide radian(s) suitable for themselves for training according to theirown condition.

The two front adjustable struts 3 and the two rear adjustable struts 2are of telescopic structures and are made of stainless steel or hardplastic-steel materials. During the adjustment the height of the struts,they can be fixed by the adjustment screws 7 thereon, allowing the planewhere the inflatable track guide 1 located being tilted with respect tothe horizontal plane in accordance with the statures and so on of thedifferent practicers, i.e., being in a proper height and tilt angleaccording to the habit of the practicer. Generally, the tilt angle islarger than 45 degrees and less than 90 degrees with respect to thehorizontal plane.

During the manufacturing of the inflatable type track guide, a magneticmaterial layer 10 can be used to make said track guide. Alternatively,metal mesh 8 can be coated over the outer surface of the track guide,while a wear-resistant and glossy plastic material layer 9 can be coatedover the metal mesh 8, seeing FIG. 5. A magnet or magnetic material canbe disposed on the corresponding portion of the inner tube of the golfclub, which will be contacts with the guide (not shown). When the golfclub is swung along the track guide, the golf club of the practicer canbe attracted to the track guide due to the magnetic effect.

When using the present invention, the track guide is pumped up firstlywith an inflator or a pump. When the gas in the track guide has reacheda determined pressure, the user can stand into the circle formed by thetrack guide, holding the grip of the club and swinging. Because of therestriction of the guide of proper track, the practicer can only actalong the predetermined proper track, which ensures the practicer'sswing stance proper. Besides, with the attraction effect of the magnet,the practicer can save more labor. Moreover, since the whole track guideis made of plastic material, the user doesn't have to worry about beinghurt by the metal components during the practice. After the training,the training apparatus can be conveniently placed into a bag bydisassembling the adjustable struts and exhausting the gas in the guide,which is small in size and easy to carry.

The present invention can also be improved or deformed for training anyother sport which needs proper stance, such as training discus athletes,table tennis athletes or the like. All of these improvements should beincluded in the scope of the claims of this invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

The inflatable type golf swing training apparatus of the presentinvention allows the golf sport practicers to practice swing along theprearranged swing guide and helps them to fix their swing stance in apossibly shortest time. The swing training can be carried at anytime andanywhere, without a specific training course. In addition, the presentinvention has low manufacturing cost and simple manufacturing process.The inflatable type apparatus has a small size after packed, and easy tocarry and safe to use. The implementation of the present invention willdefinitely speed up the popularity of golf sport.

1. An inflatable type golf swing training apparatus, comprising: aninflatable track guide, and adjustable struts, wherein the inflatabletrack guide has a guide radian corresponding to a swing track and ismade by enclosing a hollow and inflatable capsule made of elasticmaterial.
 2. The inflatable type golf swing training apparatus of claim1, wherein the adjustable struts includes two front adjustable struts,which are disposed at the lower part of the inflatable track guide andused for adjusting the height and the angle of the inflatable trackguide, and two rear adjustable struts, which disposed at the middle partof the inflatable track guide for adjusting the angle of the track guideplane with respect to the horizontal plane.
 3. The inflatable type golfswing training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guide radian of thetrack guide can be chosen depending on various demands of thepracticers.
 4. The inflatable type golf swing training apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein protuberances are disposed on the inflatable trackguide, through which the front adjustable struts and the rear adjustablestruts are coupled to the inflatable track guide.
 5. The inflatable typegolf swing training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the front adjustablestruts and the rear adjustable struts are of telescopic structures andare made of hard plastic-steel material, the front adjustable strutsbeing perpendicular to the horizontal plane while the rear struts beingtilted to the horizontal plane at an angle.
 6. The inflatable type golfswing training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tilt angle of the planeof the inflatable track guide with respect to the horizontal is largerthan 45 degrees and less than 90 degrees.
 7. The inflatable type golfswing training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inflatable track guideis made of magnetic plastic material.
 8. The inflatable type golf swingtraining apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer surface of theinflatable track guide is coated with metal mesh, which is furthercoated with a layer of wear-resistant glossy material.
 9. The inflatabletype golf swing training apparatus of claim 2, 4, or 5, wherein both thefront adjustable struts and the rear adjustable struts can be adjustedin a spiral or telescopic way.
 10. The inflatable type golf swingtraining apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of the front adjustablestruts and the rear adjustable struts is provided with a rubber suckeror a fixed platform at a portion which contacts with the ground.